Foldable stand



June 14, 1955 L. F. PHILLIPS FOLDABLE STAND Filed April 8, 1954 2,710,733 FOLDABLE STAND Lewis F. Phillips, Chicago, Ill. Application April 8, 1954, Serial No. 421,903 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-164) This invention relates to a foldable stand adapted to support a removable tray or the like.

Various stands of this type have heretofore been proposed which, however, are of complex and costly construction, are awkward and clumsy to handle, and are difficult to store or carry because of their bulkiness.

Thus, it is one of the objects of this invention to provide a foldable stand which is simple, lightweight, and durable in construction and is also easy to manipulate to folded or unfolded position.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a foldable stand which folds into a compact unit and therefore may be readily stored or carried, if desired.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a foldable stand which is composed of a minimum number of parts and, therefore, inexpensive to manufacture, and which is constructed so as to be resistant to wear even after extended periods of use.

Further and additional objects will appear from the description, accompanying drawings, and appended claims.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, a foldable stand is provided which comprises a plurality of elongated elements of substantially the same construction arranged in clustered relation, and a first collar encompassing said elements at substantially the longitudinal centers thereof. The elements are each pivotally connected to the collar by removable pins which are supported at one end within suitable symmetrically arranged openings formed in the collar. The other ends of the pins terminate within openings formed in the elements. Encompassing and frictionally contacting the first collar is a second collar which, when in place, is adapted to retain the elements, pivotal pins, and first collar in assembled relation.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the foldable stand in unfolded relation showing a removable tray supported thereby;

Fig. 2 is a. fragmentary sectional view taken aloztg line 2-2 of Fig. I;

Fig. 3 is a perspective exploded view of the collar and pivotal pin assembly;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is similar to Fig. 2 but showing the elements in folded relation.

Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to Fig. 1, an improved foldable stand is shown for use in supporting a removable tray 11 or the like. The stand 10 comprises, in this instance, three elongated rods 12a, 12b, and 120 of like size and shape which are arranged in clustered relation and are adapted to pivot relative to one another about predetermined axes. The upper ends of the rods are shown, in this instance, to engage the underside of tray 11. Suitable sockets, not shown, may be provided on the underside of the tray to accommodate the upper ends of the rods and thereby prevent the tray from accidentally becoming disengaged from the stand. The lower ends of the rods rest upon a floor or base and are provided with footings 13 formed of rubber or any other suitable nonslipping material. Encompassing all of the rods 12a-c as a unit at substantially the longitudinal centers thereof is a first annular collar 14, which is provided with a plurality of symmetrically disposed radially extending openings 15.

rates Patent 0 2,710,733 Patented June 14, 1955 The number of openings will depend upon the number of rods embraced by the collar 14. Each opening 15 is adapted to accommodate one end of a removable pivot pin 16. Each of the pins 16 extends radially inwardly from the collar 15 and has the inner end thereof terminating within a blind opening 17 formed in the rod adjacent the particular opening. The rods function as axes about which the pins may pivot independently of each other. Encompassing collar 14 and in frictional concentric engagement therewith is a second or outer collar 18. Collar 18, when in position, retains pins 16 in assembled relation with respect to the rods 12a-c and collar 14.

The inner diameter of collar 14 is such as to provide clearance between each of the rods and the collar 14 as well, as seen more clearly in Fig. 5, thereby enabling the rods to pivot through sectors of predetermined size about pins 16 until the rods contact the upper and lower edges of the collar 14. The axial lengths of collars 14 and 18, the clearance between the rods and the collar 14, and the longitudinal position of the collars relative to the rods, determine the size of the sectors defined by the portions of the rods disposed on opposite sides of the collars.

While in the drawing only threerods are shown, it is to be understood, of course, that more than three rods may be utilized, if desired, depending upon the inside dimensions of the collars 14 and 18 and the size of the tray to be supported without departing from the scope of the invention.

Thus, it will be seen that a foldable stand has been provided which folds into a compact unit thereby making it easy to store or carry. Furthermore, the stand is of simple, inexpensive construction and yet is effective in supporting trays or the like which vary widely in size and shape.

While a particular embodiment of this invention is shown above, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made, and it is contemplated, therefore, by the appended claim, to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

A foldable stand comprising an apertured cylindrical collar, a plurality of elongated elements arranged in clustered relation and encompassed as a unit intermediate the ends thereof by said cylindrical collar, a removable pivotal pin for each of said elements, each of said pins having one end thereof terminating within an element and the other end thereof disposed within an aperture formed in said cylindrical collar, each of said elements being pivotally movable about one of said pivotal pins, the end limits of said pivotal movement being defined by double point contacts between each of said elements and the top and bottom inner peripheries of said cylindrical collar, and superposed outer collar means fric tionally engaging the outer periphery of said cylindrical collar and maintaining said pin members in pivotal engagement with said elongated elements, said outer collar means hiding said pin elements from view when said stand is in the normal assembled position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 382,308 Kamerer May 8, 1888 413,962 Putnam Oct. 29, 1889 509,005 Voeltzkow Nov. 21, 1893 705,893 Anton July 29, 1902 1,241,987 Kalisz Oct. 2, 1917 1,940,565 Schott Dec. 19, 1933 2,542,040 MacLellan Feb. 20, 1951 

